Wild: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis

Cheryl wakes on the first morning of her journey and stares at herself in the mirror. As she looks at herself, she sees a “woman with [a] hole in her heart.” She brushes her teeth, dresses in her hiking outfit, laces up her boots, and begins packing her bag. She needs to fit in enough supplies for three months—and she has been dreading the task. As Cheryl looks at all the things she’s taking with her she becomes more and more skeptical of the idea that it will all fit—and increasingly aware of how unprepared she is for the odyssey before her.

Cheryl manages to pack her backpack, and then starts filling her water bottles. Altogether, the water she needs to make it through the Mojave weighs 24.5 pounds. Cheryl clips the vessels to the sides of her backpack and then bends to lift it up—only to find it won’t budge. Cheryl considers taking some items out, but fears leaving behind something essential. Cheryl gets into a sitting position on the floor in front of her backpack, puts her arms through the straps, and slowly, strenuously manages to stand. Hunched in a “remotely upright position,” Cheryl adjusts to the tremendous weight on her back—and the realization that she will have to carry it 1,100 miles to Oregon. Cheryl doesn’t know a lot about what’s ahead of her, but she knows one thing—it is “time to go.”